บท 53: A Strange Caravan
The journey ahead was long, and as Rentaro walked through the forest he looked over the map they were given in doubt. The map was rather... vague.
Considering he received the map in the village, its simplicity made sense. The map highlighted the general boundaries of the nearby kingdoms and larger geographical features.
There really wasn't a specified path to travel, and with both of them being unfamiliar to the world outside of the village, they would have to adjust their pathing as they traveled.
Icrin walked behind him, whistling a happy tune as he held the jade box closely with glistening eyes.
"You're not going to open it?" Rentaro asked.
"I'll wait until we find a place to settle down. Right, how long are we gonna walk?"
How long did they plan to walk before taking a break?
Given that their destination was a year's worth of walking away, stopping too much would prove to be a nuisance. Not to mention, they needed to arrive within a year and three months, before Rentaro reached twenty years old.
"Icrin, what's with the age requirement for the academy? Any idea?"
"From what Gramps told me, it's to maintain integrity and keep competition fair and square. And the academy would prefer to focus their resources on the younger generations. Oh, it would also be easier to gain the loyalty of those at a younger age!"
He nodded in agreement, feeling that the reasoning made sense.
As they trudged on through the brush and forest grounds, Roy and Rjuka decided to follow walk with them, taking in the natural sight.
Kyon on the other hand refused, "Your elder's legs are tired, I must rest for a bit."
Roy questioned that he could just fly, only to be shushed with strong rebukes that seemed to make no sense. They decided it was best to just let him be.
After hours of walking and reaching a forest clearing, they came across a decrepit sign reading: Fimble Town. The letters were barely visible, with splintered cracks all throughout.
'This sign should really be replaced,' Rentaro squinted his eyes, hardly making it out.
"I heard a little about this town!" Icrin looked in the signs direction eagerly.
"Oh, really? Anything interesting about it?"
"Erm, Not really. It's a town made up of humans; some of my clan members found companions there."
"I guess the distance is rather convenient."
Sure enough, they continued on for five miles before buildings entered their sight.
'It's only been a day, we can't stop traveling just because we reached a town. Maybe there's transportation here?' Rentaro thought.
Similarly to the Krose Village, there was a fortified wall around the village with a cobblestone path that led to the gate.
"Let's go," Rentaro smiled as he moved to the entrance.
"Halt!"
An armored guard resounded, his post just outside the gate.
He looked Rentaro's group up and down, his gaze dark as he faced Rjuka. He couldn't help but assume the worst as he looked at his frightening appearance.
"May I ask what business you have coming to our town?"
"My apologies, Sir," Rentaro started, "We are travelers, simply seeking a means of transportation."
The guard looked him up and down in doubt, answering, "There aren't many who would dare to travel with you four... You may enter, but try not to cause a ruckus."
Rentaro laughed awkwardly as they entered.
Rjuka spoke in guilt, "Sorry, I'm causing trouble. I could return if—"
"Don't worry about it, it's no trouble at all! We are all traveling together." Rentaro interrupted.
Rjuka smiled, grunting in understanding.
"Forget about all that. According to the map, we will be passing through the Three Lilies Kingdom, Darken Harrowed Kingdom, and Radiant Sun Kingdom."
Roy shuddered, "Darken Harrowed Kingdom? What kind of name is that?"
It was rather odd, for such an unscrupulously named kingdom to exist between one sounding as sweet as Three Lilies and one as bright as Radian Sun.
'It can't be that bad,' Rentaro mused.
"Let's take a look around, there has to be some suitable means of travel here!"
Rentaro and Icrin glanced around in curiosity, both of them experiencing something new.
The town was bustling with people, with some peddling goods and others going to and from their destinations.
Many travelers wore long robes, masking their faces under their hoods. Others dressed in armors, their faces beaming in youthful radiance. There were also the pretty young misses, standing out the most among the crowd.
"So many pretty big sisters!" Icrin muttered under his breath.
A couple of girls laughed at his near inaudible compliment, their hearing sharpened with their cultivation. But as soon as they took note of Rjuka, some of their faces paled in fear, while others looked on in interest.
A young child spoke, "It-It won't eat me, right?"
Rjuka felt like choking, "Eat you? Why would I eat you?"
"GAH!" The child screamed, running in fear.
Rentaro's eyes twitched in disbelief, "Everyone is so dramatic."
It wouldn't be a peaceful stay, so they decided to continue on after hearing about some traveling caravans wagons from a passerby who seemed to be in quite the hurry.
"Thanks a bunch!" Rentaro called to the fleeing man already down the street.
Away from the main districts, a large stable stood tall. The horses inside were busy resting before their next orders.
Seated outside in a wagon was an elderly man, giving proper maintenance to the wagon, his livelihood.
Rentaro called out, "Hello, elder! I was curious about traveling!"
The old man turned with a smile, "Oh, welcome! I have a few spots vacant, we might be able to fit you in—"
"Young man, my apologies, I've just remembered that all spots have been filled by special guests...."
Rentaro was flabbergasted, but there was nothing he could do. "Haha... Alright, elder."
Just then, a weaselly voice spoke, "Turning down business just because of some fear? How pathetic. Heh, I guess no one can compare to me, can they?"
In the direction of the voice was a short but large, round man wearing a formal white suit identical to Rentaro's original world with a white top hat, a black cane, an elegant watch on his right arm, and a monocle over his right eye.
Behind him was a wagon crafted of metal and wood. It looked simple in comparison to the man's appearance, but it was very clean.
"You are looking for transportation, no?" The man asked with a hearty laugh, pinching a shiny gold coin between his fingers which he inspected closely.
"Yeah—" Rentaro immediately realized a problem as he looked at the gold coin, "But now that I think about it... we don't, uh, have any money...."
"No money, no money..." The man repeated, shaking his head in disappointment.
Suddenly, the gold coin slipped from his fingers, rolling along the ground before hitting Rentaro's shoe and falling flat to the ground.
Rentaro picked it up, handing it back to the man.
The man covered his mouth in shock, "HOH? A gold coin?! For me?!"
Rentaro's group exchanged glances, stupefied.
"Well, Well, Well, A gold coin! That is more than enough to cover your expenses! From the Argent Kingdom, we are traveling to the border of the Three Lilies Kingdom. Only to the border, then I'm traveling west into the Maroon Cloud Kingdom! Of course, you can depart from the wagon at any time!"
"Oh—Well, I mean, that would be perfect!" Rentaro fumbled, "What's your name, sir?"
"My name? Why, my name is Kilg, I am pleased to meet your acquaintance, young man." The man, Kilg, gave a small bow.
"My name's Rentaro, this is Icrin, Rjuka, and Roy."
Kilg smiled, inspecting his watch, "It seems to be time to go. Are you able to head out immediately?"
The situation felt strange, 'He wasn't waiting for us, was he?'
"Ohoho! Don't be alarmed, it's merely a coincidence. You see, I have another two patrons who have been waiting to depart. Now shall we?" He asked once more.
[I don't sense any harmful intent.] Wilhelm suddenly voiced.
Rentaro gave Icrin a glance, receiving a nod in agreement.
"Very well, please step onto the wagon. We will make haste immediately!"
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